Chris. Hammond, born Christiana Mary Demain Hammond (1860–1900), was the first identifiably female illustrator of Jane Austen’s novels. She illustrated three titles for two publishers: Emma (1898) and Sense and Sensibility(1899) for George Allen and a sparsely illustrated Pride and Prejudice for Gresham Publishing (1900). She produced the latter at the end of her life, cut short by illness near the same age as Jane Austen herself was when she died. Hammond’s heavily illustrated editions emulate some visual aspects of her predecessors’. The hand-drawn title pages for both her Emmaand Sense and Sensibility are near-replicas of Thomson’s Peacock edition, but this may have been at the behest of her publisher. Hammond’s Austen illustrations are, on the whole, more serious, less whimsical, and more visually surprising than Thomson’s or the Brocks’. Read more about the impact she made on Austen illustration in chapter three of The Making of Jane Austen.

Is It right for your book club?

Yes, definitely! The paperback edition now includes a brief reader's guide with discussion questions. I'd love to hear from you if you're considering choosing it.

This book works best in clubs familiar with Austen's fiction OR its film adaptations. (You could read or watch Pride and Prejudice and then choose this book.)